Loyalty
by UntouchedElegance
Summary: Even when she's not in the Underworld, Cerberus protects Persephone.


Summer was a very nice season. It was a time for the sun to cast its warm rays upon the Earth. Persephone laid back in the grass, enjoying the lusciousness of it. It was still green from having grown in spring. She took great pride in having played a part in its growth. Her and her mother had worked hard to ensure the bloom of many plants and flowers. Persephone had decided that she would take a rest and found a spot just on the edge of a meadow to do so. Laying down with nature made her feel like she was closer to it.

She inhaled the fresh scent of the summer air. Though she did like her time spent on top, she couldn't help but let her thoughts drift to the Underworld. She missed Hades. She missed her friends. But, she knew that it being summer meant there was just a few more months before she went back. She smiled. Yes, summer was a very nice season indeed. She had almost drifted off to sleep right then and there. She did not get the chance to though, as she felt something very light and delicate land on her nose. She opened her eyes to find that it was a butterfly.

Persephone gasped, surprised by the butterfly's choice of a perch. The butterfly was not please by the sound she had made and decided to take off.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Butterfly," whispered Persephone. She saw where the butterfly was flying to. Just down the hill was a very beautiful lake surrounded by trees. She decided to follow it, wanting to see the lake as well. She got down edge and took a minute to admire the beauty of it. She stared at the gentle ripples caused by the soft breeze that also made her long, ginger hair flow. The grass was even greener here beneath her bare feet. She closed her eyes and inhaled. She looked down again and found that her presence had made some lilies form.

Persephone could not help but giggle and start to twirl. She twirled so much that she got very dizzy. She reached a hand up to her head and leaned on one of the nearby trees to try to steady herself. She felt the ground shake a little bit. She attributed it to her dizziness. But a moment later it happened again. At this point Persephone was thrown off. She whipped her head around to try to see what sort of thing could make the ground shake like that.

She got her answer.

Emerging from the cluster of trees not too far away from her was a giant. It was taller than some of the tress he emerged from. He was an impressive height that scared Persephone. It noticed her, fixing it's sickening yellow eyes to stare at her. Sharp teeth protruded from an underbite, a huge grunt escaping its lips as the giant licked them, starting to charge toward Persephone. She ran as fast as she could into the forest nearby. She could hear the thumping of the giant's feet as he ran after her. She practically flew into the forest, crying and shouting for anyone to help her.

Little did she know, below her feet, deep underground, something had heard her cries and was waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Persephone was starting to tire. Her long, white dress was getting caught on the branches and the giant was hot on her heels. She was in such a panic that she did not pay attention to where she was going and tripped on a protruding tree root. This gave the giant enough time to gain some ground on her. At this point Persephone had lost all hope. Seeing her demise leering ever closer, she let out an ear-piercing scream.

As if that scream was a summons, the ground between her and the close giant opened. The earth cracked and moved apart, forming a giant gap. From that gap leaped out a huge mass of back fur and huge claws. It landed with a thud. Six pairs of dark red eyes fixed themselves on the giant. Three mouths opened to reveal sharp rows of teeth, growls escaping. The powerful beast was ready to fight. Cerberus was ready to protect his queen.

Persephone was pleasantly surprised that Cerberus had left his post in the Underworld to come and rescue her. She did not even know if he was even allowed to do that. Not really in any position to question it, she quickly hid behind a nearby rock. The giant stopped short when it saw Cerberus. It was in the way of his victim. It took its club and swung at Cerberus. The giant canine had grown to about half the size of the giant, leaping for the throat before the club could come in contact with him. The giant screamed as Cerberus punctured its throat. One mouth was on its throat, one was nipping as the hand that came to pull him away, and one was connecting with his face, clamping on to its nose. The giant fell, screaming the whole time. Cerberus was standing on top of him, ready to tear out its jugular.

Persephone heard the entire fight, hoping that Cerberus would not be hurt. She peeked from her hiding place and found the giant on the ground, unmoving, the club rolling from his hand. Cerberus stepped down from atop it, panting heavily and still quite feral from the fight. That all changed when Persephone ran forth to embrace one of his legs, sobbing into his midnight fur. Cerberus looked at her with all six of his eyes and softened his demeanor. He shrunk down until he was the size of a horse, allowing Persephone to embrace his heads. One head sniffed her for injuries, another licked her face, the middle one was locked in her embrace. It nuzzled her, reassuring her that she was safe and that he was unharmed. Persephone wiped her tears; happy he did not sustain any injuries.

"Can you follow me home?" she asked him. The middle head nodded and together they made their way back towards Persephone's meadow. Her mother's temple was nearby. She looked back at Cerberus.

"You are a very good boy. I am safe now, Cerberus. You should get back to the Underworld before you get in trouble." He whined a bit, but she smiled. "I know, I miss you too. But I'll be home in a few months, and I'll give you all the pets and scratches you want." His tail wagged at this and he licked her one last time.

"Goodbye, Cerberus. Thank you. I'll see you soon." With that, he bounded back the hole he leaped out of. Persephone was thankful for a guardian like him. The best good boy.


End file.
